Plug pulled on Apple Triathlon; back next year
Contest under new management and is being cancelled this year so organizers can focus on an August event in Penticton
The Kelowna Apple Triathlon has been cancelled for this year. In a news release on Friday, the Apple Triathlon says it will be under new management for the 2018 event, to take place Aug. 18-19. M1 Sports Management, which runs triathlons in Vancouver as well as the upcoming 10-day International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championships Festival in Penticton, will be the new operator.
The Apple is being cancelled so the organizers can focus on the Penticton event, which runs Aug. 18-27.
The Penticton festival is expecting 5,000 athletes who will compete in four separate world championships — duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and long distance triathlon.
“For the 2017 race-season, the Apple will be taking a “sabbatical year” in order to allow our athletes, volunteers and members the ability to fully support the tri-community and the International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championship Festival,” said the press release.
“Taking on a race as iconic as the Apple is such a wonderful opportunity for M1. We are looking forward to working with the board, sponsors, stakeholders, the local community and volunteers to continue to grow the Apple into one of Canada’s most prominent sporting events,” said M1 co-owner Susie Ernsting.
“We are excited to be planning for the future of Kelowna Apple Triathlon by bringing on board the skills and expertise of M1 Sport Management, and felt this sabbatical year was the right thing to do in support of the ITU Worlds in Penticton, while allowing us to refresh our race for the 2018,” said Apple Triathlon board chairman Ernie Lalonde.
The Apple Triathlon has run continuously since 1983. Its focus in recent years has been on amateur athletes and participation, but in previous years, it hosted some of the top professional athletes in the sport. It served as the world championships in 1988 and the Canadian championships in 1992.